EVMs taken inside a hotel in Bihar, poll official served notice
Muzaffarpur (Bihar): A poll official here was on Tuesday served a show cause notice for keeping six EVMs inside a hotel room while voting was on in Bihar in the fifth phase.
The district authorities have, however, asserted that none of the machines were used or their seals broken.
The matter had come to light Monday when several local leaders of the opposition Mahagathbandhan noticed that poll-related paraphernalia were being taken inside a hotel by sector magistrate Awadhesh Kumar and raised an alarm.
A show cause notice has been issued to Kumar for his action which went against the rules. EVMs are not supposed to be kept at any place other than in the strong room or the assigned polling booth. In addition to the sector magistrate, action may be taken against five police personnel who had helped him in unloading the EVMs at the hotel, Muzaffarpur district magistrate, Alok Ranjan Ghosh, who is also the district election officer, said.
He, however, dismissed allegations of suspected misuse saying None of the EVMs were used for voting and all were sealed. These were kept in reserve, meant for replacement in case of a snag being reported from anywhere.
A demonstration against it was staged by local leaders of 'Mahagathbandhan' (opposition alliance) partner Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), a fledgling outfit, which has fielded its candidate Rajbhushan Chaudhary from the seat and the RJD which is the largest constituent of the opposition formation.
The Mahagathbandhan leaders alleged that the incident pointed towards an attempt to rig the polls by the local administration in favor of the NDA, which is in power in Bihar.
The NDA has fielded sitting BJP MP Ajay Nishad from the seat
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
